Gearing up for a Remote Job by Agnel Nieves

Are you thinking of working remotely? In this article Agnel Nieves gives some great advice on how it will benefit you as well as some great resources.

'Working remotely has been a trending topic for the last couple of years. But now, more than ever, working remotely has become almost a standard in the tech industry. Have you ever wondered why? If you think about it, working remotely saves money for both, the employer and the employee.

Benefits for the employer

Remote positions help companies lower the amount of money they spend on their employees, usually cutting expenses on office, equipment, snacks etc. Some of them still provide computers and budgets for setups, but still, they save a lot more money this way. They also save a lot of time by having meetings via the web, allowing them to do more in less time.

Benefits for the employee

Now, you as a remote employee will have a lot of benefits, aside from earning your salary and the company’s compensation. Having a remote job allows you to spend more time with your family without compromising your pocket. Have you ever thought about how much you’ve spent on gasoline and food on a daily basis? Well, working remotely can lower commuting expenses in a very noticeable way.

When you work remotely, you will have the opportunity to choose your own office. As long as you have a reliable internet connection it doesn’t matter where you work. Starbucks, the park, College, your home, the mall, you name it. You might think that working remotely may lower your productivity. But you’ll be amazed at how productive you can get while working on your own workspace. Of course, that depends on your commitment and your ability to focus.

Here are a few tips and resources I’ve found useful to gear up for a remote job:

Socialize

Now, this might sound a bit odd, but I find it annoying to sit every day, 8 am to 5 pm all alone just looking at the monitor. You as a remote employee will find yourself lacking interactions with other people. And in my opinion, having online meetings is never going to be the same thing. I recommend working in a co-working space, cafeteria or anywhere else where there are actual people. For some, this might not be the case, but talking and interacting with people helps me relax and focus.

I’m not saying that you should spend your 4-8 hour shift talking with someone, but you might be able to release some stress, especially when you’ve been working 1 hour straight trying to find a bug (I’ve been there too).

Communicate

Communication, this is the most important practice when working online. One of the biggest challenges of working remotely is being up to date with the team’s tasks progress and setbacks. Schedule calls, have online meetings, send emails and add them to your to-do list if you must, but make sure everybody is on the same page. This will save any misunderstanding and wasted time. So ask questions, there’s no shame in asking.

Ask questions, even if these are not answered, always have the hunger for knowledge. This way, you’ll be a more efficient employee and more importantly, a knowledgeable person.

Get comfortable with your workspace

You’ll spend almost all of the time facing your computer. That’s why it’s so important to set up a proper workspace where you feel comfortable and happy. Me personally, I like to change environments. For instance, on a normal day, I’ll work at my home office, some days on the reception where I live, other days at a Starbucks. It really depends on your personality. If you can’t focus, do something different, maybe re-decorate every so often, buy a plant… or a few. Try someplace new, find what works best for you.

Resources

Enough talking, here are a few useful resources to gear up for a remote job:

Nomad list is a pretty handy feed of cities with awesome stats of their features (Cost of living, safety, internet speed, fun, and overall score). So if you are working remotely and you are into traveling, you might want to check this one out.

A.K.A. NerdWallet, is a platform to calculate the cost of living in a given city. So if you’re planning to move to a different city, this website could help you estimate the amount of money you’ll need.

There’s a lot of benefits when working remotely and various useful tools to ease your daily life. But, at the end of the day, working remotely it’s about getting to know yourself and how you perform in different environments.

Note: This article is based on my personal experience. If you have more suggestions please leave them in the comments below.'

Archive

Signify Technology is an innovative technology recruitment business with offices based in London & Los Angeles. We provide permanent and contract technology recruitment solutions to a wide range of the world's leading brands on a global basis including blue chip, technology companies and start-ups. Behind each piece of technology changing the world, is a person, it's our mission to introduce them to the companies that need them the most.